This is one of my favorite posts I have ever photographed! 🙂

After the pictures, stay tuned…
there is a giveaway at the end of this post!!!

A few months ago, I was looking into bikes for our kids. A friend of mine had got a Strider Bike for her son’s birthday. I was so impressed by what she had to say about the bike, so I went about finding some Strider bikes for our kids. Not only do we LOVE these bikes, but it turns out that they were invented and are headquarterd in Rapid City, South Dakota, my home town! That makes them extra, extra cool.

I honestly can’t say enough good things about these bikes. We LOVE them. Striders are balance bikes, or bikes without pedals. They teach children how to balance, and they use their feet to cruise along.

I was really surprised how quickly our kids picked up on this, and how fast they go on their Striders.

The essence of learning how to ride a bike is learning how to balance. Our youngest son, who is 3, was zipping around on his Strider within days. Not only does he balance and coast really well, but he also has good control of the handlebars. I feel confident that he could ride a bike now. (Although we have no plans to buy him a different bike this summer- he is totally happy on his Strider)!

Strider bikes come in two sizes, the ST-4 (built for ages 18months-5 years) and the SS-1 (built for ages 6+). We have a 5 year old daughter, and chose the small bike for her, since she is on the small side. She has the tall seat, and it is perfect. She has tried her sister’s bigger bike, which is too large for her, but she’ll grow into it pefectly.

The green bike is the SS-1. Our oldest daughter had a broken arm last summer, so sadly she didn’t get the chance to practice on her bike with training wheels. Now that she has learned to balance on a bike with her Strider, she is fully equipped to ride her other bike, although for now, she prefers her Strider. Check out the foot rest, great for learing balance and control without depending on your legs.

Last summer, the kids rode around on cheap, plastic riding toys that we had found at a garage sale. They were ok, but we never got very far on our family walks.

Now with these bikes, we are cruising– fast– all over the neighborhood!

It’s been really fun for the whole family. 

Now we can barely keep up with them!

This was actually a huge bonus when I began training for my half marathon. I took the kids riding on the bike path, and I ran.

This little guy could not be happier with his first set of wheels..

He’s in that independent stage, where he wants to do everything all by himself. Striders are the perfect cure! He can ride, balance, and coast just like a big boy!

Lest we forget how small he is, let’s size him up next to dad 🙂

The ST-4 (smaller) bikes come in a wide array of colors: blue, green, orange, red, yellow, and much to our daughter’s delight, PINK!

Daddy taught the kids a very important rule about bike safety:

When you are crossing the street, you always get off the bike and walk it.

I am so glad he took the time to point this out and make it a big deal. They are much more aware of their surroundings and the cars around them when they get off.

The bikes are so light (less than 7 pounds), that it is not a struggle at all for the kids to walk their own bike.

I just love watching the kids walk their own bikes. I can tell they feel so grown up and responsible 🙂

A couple of weeks ago, when spring sprung in our neighborhood, we were out bike riding almost every evening. It was magical. I took lots of pictures that I will treasure forever!

Our oldest got a little adventurous and led everyone down a “mystery path.”

  Our little daydreamer… just like Alice in Wonderland.

Dreaming of all the places she can go…

I also want to mention that these bikes were very easy to assemble. It only took my husband about 15 minutes to get everything ready to ride.

I can’t resist posting these pictures. I never want to forget how excited our little guy was after Daddy built his bike!

Here’s a short video I made with my son, who turned 3 years old at the end of January. He loves his bike, and can ride it so well!

Giveaway Time!!!!!!!

I am SO excited that Strider wants to give one of YOU readers a bike. They are giving away the bike in this picture, a green ST-4. I know your child is going to love it. I can’t wait to see who the winner will be! Huge thank you to Strider!

Please wait a moment for the entry form to appear. It is very easy to fill out and enter. Giveaway runs until Friday, May 24th. Winner will be notified via email.

Good luck!